With hundreds of thousands of households in Los Angeles at risk of eviction, local housing justice advocates are pushing a big proposal to cancel rent and mortgages -- relieving renters, homeowners and "mom and pop" landlords from financial obligations they cannot possibly meet. On this week's "What's Next, Los Angeles," Mike Bonin speaks with three of the leaders behind the local #CancelRent and #CancelMortgage movement:
Fanny Ortiz is a renter in Boyle Heights, an organizer with Community Power Collective, and co-president of Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre, the first community land trust on the Eastside. She is on Twitter at @redhothellraise. Community Power Collective is @CPColectivo.
Faizah Malik is senior staff attorney for community development with Public Counsel, a public interest law firm in Los Angeles, and the largest pro bono law firm in the country. You can follow her on Twitter at @faizahmalik. Public Counsel is at @PublicCounsel.
Laura Raymond is the Director of ACT-LA, a coalition of 39 community organizations working on housing and transit justice. She’s also on the coordinating committee of Healthy LA, a social justice coalition of more than 300 local organizations that have been focusing on the issuing of preventing evictions and housing justice. Twitter: @laurajraymond. ACT-LA is @All4Transit.
Healthy LA's website is here, and twitter account is @healthyla_coa.
Healthy LA's "Los Angeles Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Policy Platform" is available in English here, and in Spanish here.
The December #CancelRent #CancelMortgages townhall can be seen here. A cool graphic outlining the proposal can be seen here.
Some coverage of the coming eviction crisis and the #CancelRent movement:
UCLA Study Warns of Looming Eviction Crisis in Los Angeles County
KCRW: An impending eviction crisis threatens struggling tenants. Is rent cancellation the answer?
CityWatch: The US is Facing an Eviction Tsunami. We Must Cancel Rent before it's too Late.
The Nation: It’s Time to Cancel the Rent
The Atlantic: Cancel Rent